The Johnson Museum began to collect Asian art in the 1950s; now the collection contains more than eight thousand works of Asian art, most acquired through the generosity of Cornell alumni, faculty, parents, and friends. The collection is one of the great strengths of the Johnson Museum due to the vision of Martie Young, professor of the History of Art and curator from 1959 to 1998, and the support of George and Mary Rockwell, who not only bequeathed their wonderful collection to the...

The Johnson Museum began to collect Asian art in the 1950s; now the collection contains more than eight thousand works of Asian art, most acquired through the generosity of Cornell alumni, faculty, parents, and friends. The collection is one of the great strengths of the Johnson Museum due to the vision of Martie Young, professor of the History of Art and curator from 1959 to 1998, and the support of George and Mary Rockwell, who not only bequeathed their wonderful collection to the...

The Johnson Museum began to collect Asian art in the 1950s; now the collection contains more than eight thousand works of Asian art, most acquired through the generosity of Cornell alumni, faculty, parents, and friends. The collection is one of the great strengths of the Johnson Museum due to the vision of Martie Young, professor of the History of Art and curator from 1959 to 1998, and the support of George and Mary Rockwell, who not only bequeathed their wonderful collection to the Johnson but also left a financial legacy that allows the Johnson to continue to acquire important works of Asian art. The collection ranges in date from the most ancient times to the present day and covers a wide geographic span, from Turkey to Japan and including island nations of the Pacific from the Philippines to Indonesia to Australia. In 2011, a major renovation and expansion of the Asian art galleries was completed; together with the establishment of a new visible storage gallery, the Johnson now displays nearly four times the number of works of Asian art from the permanent collection than before. In recent years, the Johnson has pursued educational initiatives using technology to enhance our audience’s understanding and enjoyment of the collection. For major grants to support all these projects, the Johnson is grateful to the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Institute for Museum and Library Services, and many private donors.